


Miracles

by aurinkossa



Series: The Artemis Saga [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-24 22:08:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4937143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurinkossa/pseuds/aurinkossa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Inquisitor has gone missing, Cullen reluctantly begins a search for her throughout Skyhold.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Miracles

Cullen had just set his lunch in front of him when Josephine threw open the door to his office. “Where is the Inquisitor?” she demanded from the Commander, “I’ve been searching for her for an hour and can’t find her anywhere. I went to her chambers, the gardens, Leliana’s tower, the library, anywhere that she would normally be, and yet no sign of her!”

Cullen pinched the bridge of his nose with frustration. He just came back from his noontime stroll along the battlements and was just about to sit down at his desk to eat lunch. The ambassador clearly had other plans, however, as she came bursting in from the walkway to the rotunda, gesturing wildly with her clipboard-hand and mussing her hair back into place with her other. This was not how Cullen intended to spend his day and certainly not what he wanted.

“I’m sure she’s somewhere,” He answered with a dismissive tone in his voice, “maybe she just needed a noontime break from her responsibilities. Now, if you’ll excuse me-“

“No, I will not excuse you, Commander!” Josephine barked, making the man flinch from his half-sitting position. “I have many meetings to attend to, I have many papers for the Inquisitor to sign, and I have no patience for you to just passively ignore work that needs to be done! Now, you will search for her, you will find her, you will give her these documents that require her revision, and you will do it with a smile on your face. Do you understand?”

Cullen rolled his eyes like a teenager. “Of course, Lady Ambassador. I will go find the woman who probably just wanted some alone time for once in her life.”

“Good. Now, neither of us are leaving this room until I see that handsome smile on your face.” Josephine’s demeanor changed from furious to pleasant before Cullen could even blink. It was astounding to the man, really. Nonetheless, Cullen held out his middle fingers and pushed them into the corners of his mouth to create the facsimile of a grin. His glare contrasted the smile brilliantly. Josephine nodded in approval.

“I will ignore the better half of everything you just did, Commander,” Josephine turned to her clipboard and pivoted back towards the door she just emerged from. “Do try to find her soon, I know you have responsibilities of your own to attend to.”

As the door to his office slammed shut, Cullen sighed and looked at his plate of Shepard’s pie with disappointment. He was looking forward to this food, too! He moved around his desk to go search for Artemis, but looked back at the Fereldan meal presented before him. A quick glance at the door directly in front of his desk, and he was right back in his seat shoving a fork of gravy-laden potatoes in his mouth. A couple extra minutes couldn’t hurt.

~

A scout ran up the staircase to the Commander, saluting him as she approached. She pulled the documents he lent her out from under her arm and presented them to him. “Commander, we have found no sign of the Inquisitor in the kitchen.” She said.

Half an hour has passed since Cullen started his search and he was already contemplating just letting his runners take over entirely. The Commander was leaning on the wall behind him, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. He nodded curtly in acknowledgement to the scout as he pushed past her down the staircase to check the lower levels of Skyhold. She stood for a moment, tucked the papers back under her arm, and followed diligently.

“Have you searched the rest of the lower levels?” He asked. The scout blushed out of embarrassment. The two continued downstairs.  
“No, Commander. Was I supposed to?”

“Given that you were supposed to report back to me ten minutes ago, I would have imagined you did.” Cullen’s eyebrow twitched up as he looked over his shoulder as he reached the stairwell. He turned the corner to walk towards the treasury.

“I will check the vaults; maybe she’s trying alchemy with the magister or something, and you will-“ Cullen paused as he heard a soft voice carry through the halls. He tilted his head slightly to the left and looked around. The voice was high, but quiet. Was it a woman singing? He motioned behind him, gesturing for the flustered scout to return the documents to him. “Dismissed, I will take it from here.” He said as he started walking towards the corridor just beside the treasury. His pace was slow until he heard the scout bustle her way back into the kitchen, then quickened his walk, double-checking that no one was following.

The singing grew louder as he got further down the dimly lit hall. The words were still unintelligible, but as he got closer he could begin to make out a few words. Then, off to his left was a small little door. Big enough for him to still get through, but certainly smaller than the rest of the entryways in the keep. The singing appeared to be coming from this room. A soft green light seeped out from the cracks in the door. Cullen paused at the door, bringing his hand up to knock, but refrained. What if the woman didn’t want to be bothered? He pulled his hand back for a moment, but then opted to quietly push on the door. He led the Inquisition’s armies and if he needed to interrupt the woman to find the Inquisitor, so be it. To his surprise, the door opened easily and without a creak. But why would the hinges to a door in the obscure regions of Skyhold not have rusted over? The Commander pressed the documents to his chest and gently nudged his way inside.

“Do you believe in miracles?” The song continued as Cullen stepped into the room. A library that he never knew existed greeted him. The room stretched out before him, a corridor leading to a rotunda. The walls towered above him; shelves filled with books from time immemorial lined the walkway. Ahead, countless candles rested on the desk in the center of the circle, lit with a gentle green flame that bathed the room with emerald light. A black owl statue perched on a pillar in the back and overlooked the library, wings outstretched as if to swoop down and grasp any intruder that would disturb the peace. Dust particles wafted aimlessly through the air. The Commander understood, then, that this is a sanctuary.

“Could you listen for a while and hear my little plea?” The song continued as Cullen eased the door closed. “I only wish for a miracle, a miracle. But it will not be that way. I need a miracle, a miracle. Somewhere to be safe. But I wouldn’t ask for it; I couldn’t if I tried.” The woman remained out of sight as Cullen quietly made his way down the hallway, head bowed in reverence to the avian protector watching over him. “Oh, it would be a miracle if you were by my side.” The song ended as he stepped out from the shelves and into the library proper.

He rested his hand on the shelf beside him as he took everything in. The candles- lit by veilfire?- rose up from their place on the desk and made their way to the chandelier above, spiraling slowly as if dancing. As the lights grew higher, Cullen noticed that there were levels to this sanctuary. The shelves continued upwards, ever-full with tomes and texts of forgotten tongues and ancient dreams. Every dozen feet or so stood a new landing, each connected to the next with a metal ladder. His mouth opened into a wonderstruck grin as he observed that there seemed to be no ceiling; no end to the books. How had he never noticed this room before?

“Cullen!” A sharp cry cut the silence. The Commander snapped out of his marveling and looked around in bewilderment. To the left of him sat Artemis, knees pulled up to her chest and hair out of its usual braid. She looked up at him in a mixture of surprise and horror. His mouth opened for a moment, closed, and he sighed.

“We were looking all over for you,” Cullen said softly. “Are you all right?”

“Yes,” Artemis shifted her gaze forward as she answered the question despondently. “Or, well, I guess as all right as I’ll ever be.” She chuckled at her self-deprecating joke. Cullen’s face softened and he knelt down to sit next to her. He glanced at the papers in his hand and put them behind him, out of sight.

“Is something the matter?” He asked, looking at her with concern. Artemis shook her head.

“Nothing catastrophic,” She sighed, “Just another of those bad days.” She looked upwards at the candles as they rested on the chandelier, green lights flickering across her face and she smiled.

“I come here whenever I need a break,” she explained to her advisor. “Came across this place when we first arrived here at Skyhold, and clearly no one else had noticed its location, so I figured, ‘Why not?’ Right?” She huffed and looked over at Cullen, who was leaning against the shelf with his knee pulled up to his chest. He had wrapped his arm around the knee for support, but his other arm rested beside him, hand pressed against the floor. He was looking at her, the corners of his eyes crinkled up in a smile. He chuckled.

“I suppose we all need a moment from our duties now and then,” he said, turning his gaze up at the chandelier. “I can only imagine how you must feel day-to-day, all that work piled up on you in a bureaucratic mess.” Artemis laughed genuinely this time. Cullen’s smile grew a little bit at her delight.

“You should see Josephine sometimes! ‘Inquisitor, we need you to sign this entire manuscript that Varric decided to churn out from sheer boredom, but we need your initials on every single page!’” She held her arms out as if carrying a clipboard in a mockery of the Ambassador. Cullen did his best not to find amusement in her impersonation, but once she said “manuscript” he threw his head back and guffawed. His laughter echoed through the room, staccato claps of thunder.

“I shouldn’t be laughing at that,” He wiped a tear from his eye with his free hand, “but that was actually pretty spot-on!” Artemis beamed up at him for a moment, then looked forward, face devoid of passion. Cullen kept quiet for a few moments, his eyes never leaving her face.

“Would you like me to leave you to your singing?” He asked, pushing with his hand to prop himself up. “I do not wish to disturb you any more than I should.”

“I highly doubt you could disturb me if you tried.” The Inquisitor replied coyly, and then promptly clapped her hand to her mouth at the realization of what she just said. Cullen stared at her quizzically for a moment, trying to process the meanings of her statement. Did she mean? No, she couldn’t have; she’s the Inquisitor and he’s just her advisor. It was his duty to not be a disturbance to her any more than he has to be.

Cullen let himself fall back to his previous sitting position and looked upwards. There really did appear to be no ceiling. Was it possible that this room is enchanted in some way? It certainly looked like it to him. A certain tranquility filled the room, the candles’ soft hissing providing the only sound. This was truly a beautiful place.

A few moments later, Cullen felt a soft pressure on his shoulder. Looking over, he found that Artemis had rested her head against his shoulder. She let her legs stretch out in front of her and folded her hands in her lap. But her head was on his shoulder. Cullen’s face grew warm and he chuckled.

“I highly doubt that my armor is very comfortable,” he remarked. He brought his hand up to the straps. “Here, this may be better.” He undid the pauldron from its fastenings and let the shoulder piece rest on the ground beside him, setting it down gently so as to not disturb the peace. Artemis hummed her approval and nuzzled her head into his fur mantle. She wrapped her arms around his own, but then let her hands rest around the Commander’s. Cullen’s breath hitched for a moment as he looked down at her. Was she cuddling up against him? Intentionally? Is this something that she did with all of her friends? It must be; why else would she do this? Artemis glanced up at him with worry.

“Is this all right, Commander? I don’t want to impose myself on you.” She asked, fear tinging her voice. Cullen smiled and shook his head, casting her worries aside.

“It is perfectly all right. If I could ask, though, would it be all right if you just called me ‘Cullen’ for moments like this? I mean, in the event that we get an opportunity like this, I mean.” He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly with his right hand, clenching his left into a fist at his fumbling. Artemis softly chuckled.

“Cullen,” she murmured as she curled up against him once more. She pressed softly on his fist, encouraging him to open up his hand. She entwined her fingers around his. And they grew still, savoring the moment.

The Commander looked down at her and smiled at what he saw. Artemis had burrowed her head into his mantle and a soft blush covered her face. Her eyes were closed and her lips were curled up in a gentle smile. Cullen wondered if this is how she always acts when no one is around. He thought back to the destruction of Haven, when he was carrying her to the encampment. Does she remember..? He shook his head, dispelling that train of thought. There was no way she could remember; she was exhausted and delirious. She didn’t know what she was saying! He sighed. But what if?

Artemis looked up when he sighed, observing his face with a cool curiosity. He met her gaze and smiled. A strand of hair was out of place, resting against the corner of her mouth. He reached over and brushed the strand back where it belonged. His fingers brushed past her lips in the motion, however. Artemis inhaled sharply, surprised at his touch. His eyes widened as her blush deepened. She pulled her hand up to her mouth, feeling where his fingers grazed.

Cullen’s face grew hot and he snapped his attention to the owl statue overlooking them. Good, old statue. The black shimmer really encapsulates the power resting in the bird! He glanced back at Artemis, who was still looking at him in mild surprise. She was looking at him. She was blushing. She was biting her lower lip. What was happening? Cullen’s mind drew a blank as his face slowly approached hers. She turned up towards him in response. He couldn’t believe it; this was actually happening! He never dreamed it possible, but yet she’s here! He lifted up his hand to caress her face, to rub his thumb across her cheek, fingers curling into her hair. Their noses touched.

“Is-“Artemis whispered, “is this okay?” Cullen laughed softly.

“When would this ever not be?” He murmured, tilting his head. He could almost feel her smile as her lips started to part.

The candles suddenly went out with a puff. Artemis let her forehead fall against his and groaned with aggravation.

“They always go out at the worst times!” She complained as she set the veilfires anew. The room was bathed again in a soft green light. She sighed and looked at Cullen.

“I suppose we need to get back to work, now, don’t we?” She muttered bitterly. Cullen nodded grudgingly; face tightening back up into its default tense position.

“I suppose so.” He agreed as he stood up, lending out a hand to help her get on her feet. Artemis rubbed her arm awkwardly as Cullen set his pauldron back in place.

“Those papers are for me, I take it.” She commented wryly as she looked past him to see the stack of documents lying on the floor. Cullen nodded again.

“Josephine’s request, as you might imagine.” He laughed. He was so close to making an impression of her himself, but that would just be out of line for him. Artemis giggled nonetheless.

“If you ever need a break yourself, this library is always open.” She said, smiling up at him. He met her eyes and grinned.

“I believe I may take you up on that offer sometime, Inquisitor.” He spread his arm out behind him, allowing her to go first. To his surprise, however, the Inquisitor instead opted to wrap her arms around him.

“Thank you, Cullen.” She whispered. She stood up on the tips of her toes and kissed him on the cheek. He touched that spot tenderly, a blush growing anew. And with that, the two left the library, arms loaded with pages to sign. The candles went out as the door closed, bringing the sanctuary back into silence.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, hello, all!
> 
> So I am indeed fully aware that Cullen's food is actually spelled as "Shepherd's pie." I just saw a Mass Effect reference and I took it. Also, the library is indeed a part of Skyhold, though I modified it a bit for artistic license. It's down in the lower levels just past the vault and it is not seemingly endless as I described. It's actually quite small.
> 
> So, thank you for reading and I hope you have a fantastic day!


End file.
